Employment Specialist – Connect to Work Isle of Wight in Newport

Location: The role will be based in our Newport office with travel expected across the island throughout the week to community venues. Salary will be £27,976 - £29,500 depending on experience. Travel expenses over and above those to the base location will be reimbursed.

Project Overview: Connect to Work is a UK government‑funded initiative aimed at supporting individuals with disabilities, health conditions, or other complex challenges in finding and maintaining sustainable work.

Primary Duties & Responsibilities:

• Champion our customers as valuable candidates by actively promoting them to employers and raising awareness and support available through the programme.
• Creating and following through with individualised action plans ensuring appropriate and effective activity is undertaken by and with each customer.
• Have regular check‑ins with customers to track their progress before starting employment and once in employment.
• Advocate for the values of our programmes by working in partnership with employers to view our clients positively and inclusively during recruitment.
• Build potential employment opportunities through proactive engagement with potential employers.
• Facilitate work experiences, such as placements, trials, and shadowing opportunities with suitable employers where appropriate.
• Provide ongoing in‑work support to customers who have successfully gained employment, helping them sustain and thrive in their roles, including working in partnership with employers.
• Address customer’s personal constraints to employment, providing challenge, advice, and guidance where appropriate to develop customers capability in the recruitment process ensuring they have the necessary skills and confidence to secure employment.
• Identify, structure, and recommend vacancy and training solutions, working in close consultation with the team to meet the specific needs of customers and employers.
• Maintain customer records to a required quality standard to ensure the customer journey is documented in accordance with our quality standards and contractual requirements.
• Develop an understanding of specialist signposting services in the local area/region, building knowledge in areas such as specific disabilities, housing, benefits etc.
• Meet personal performance targets, Key Performance Indicators and all Quality and Compliance measures by delivering high quality employability provision to customers.

Required Skills and Experience:

• A passion for working with people and have a solution focused approach.
• Experience working with people facing barriers to employment including health conditions and disabilities.
• Experience of providing one‑to‑one support and coaching to individuals with the ability to constructively challenge where needed.
• Proven experience in developing networks and building strong partnerships to support customers’ goals.
• A flexible approach to working hours is essential, including the ability to support occasional evening and weekend activities.
• Strong organisational skills including managing caseloads.
• Knowledge of safeguarding, data protection and confidentiality requirements.

Desirable:

• Driving licence and access to a car given the community delivery of the contract.
• Track record of helping individuals progress into work.
• Understanding of supported employment programmes, such as IPS.
• Educated at university degree or alternatively have a demonstrated track record of performance and success in target‑driven sales, customer service or case‑management roles.
• Knowledge of the employment market in their area.
• Experience providing support and guidance on welfare and benefits, with a strong understanding of mental health and physical health challenges.

Key Competencies:

• Creative intelligence.
• Ability to motivate, challenge and inspire.
• Proactive and solution focused.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Kind, personable and approachable.
• Performance and target focused.
• Excellent organisation and prioritisation skills.
• The determination and drive to want to make a positive difference.

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion: We are committed to embedding equity, diversity, and inclusion into everything we do. We welcome applications from all sections of society and actively encourage diversity to drive innovation, creativity, success and good practice. As a Disability Confident employer, we will ensure that a fair and proportionate number of disabled applicants that meet the minimum criteria for this position will be offered an interview.

Other Considerations: This role is subject to an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, to be undertaken before commencing employment.